The Thane police probing the massacre, in which a 35-yearold man allegedly killed 14 members of his family, are awaiting the statement of the lone survivor, Subiya Barmal, to ascertain the motive.

The Thane police probing the massacre, in which a 35-year-old man allegedly killed 14 members of his family, are awaiting the statement of the lone survivor, Subiya Barmal, to ascertain the motive.(PTI)

The Thane police probing the massacre, in which a 35-year-old man allegedly killed 14 members of his family, are awaiting the statement of the lone survivor, Subiya Barmal, to ascertain the motive.

The police probe has revealed that Hasnain Warekar killed his family members by slitting their throats before allegedly committing suicide at Kasarvadavli village. So far, they have eliminated the possibility of involvement of other people.

The police are probing several theories, which include human sacrifice, property or family dispute and mental illness as possible motives.

“Investigations point out that the deceased were either asleep or sedated when murdered. There are no signs of forced entry and the witness survivor, Subiya, has seen her brother killing. Looking at the way the throats were slit, it looks it was done by someone used to slaughtering. We’ve gathered that Hasnain used to carry out animal sacrifices,” said Ashutosh Dumbre, joint commissioner of police, Thane.

The police are relying on two factors for clarity — the results of the food samples and Subiya’s statement. “The food samples will throw light on whether Hasnain’s family members were sedated. Subiya, who has sustained serious injuries, is in a state of shock. She has been asking about her infant daughter and has not been told she has been killed. We will get a clarity based on her statement,” added Dumbre.

The police have checked Hasnain’s father, Anwar’s, laptop and mobile phone, but did not find any incriminating content. Anwar was a trustee of Parfeshi Baba mosque at Anand Nagar. According to the police, Hasnain was religious and offered prayers five times a day. They added that the family was “well to do”.

“We are seeking property details of t he family. Investigations have revealed that the family was involved in a property dispute,” said Dumbre.

The police have found some medicines in the house that they said may have been prescribed by dermatologists for children. They said they have not found medicines for mental illness or depression. “Hasnain’s relatives, who live in the village, said he was a good man. We trying to find out who he had been meeting and if they influenced him in any way,” said Dumbre.